Overview
- UAE Team Emirates‑XRG announced on Monday that Tadej Pogacar will lead its team at the 2026 Vuelta a España and published an eight‑rider squad to support a general‑classification campaign.
- Pogacar is bidding to add the Vuelta to a palmarès that already includes five Tour de France wins and the 2024 Giro d’Italia, making the Spanish race the only Grand Tour he has not yet won.
- The 21‑stage Vuelta starts with a 9km individual time trial in Monaco on 22 August and finishes in Granada on 13 September, with high mountain stages through France and Andorra expected to decide the overall race.
- The named support riders include João Almeida, Jay Vine, Pavel Sivakov, Pablo Torres, Kevin Vermaerke, Domen Novak and Ivo Oliveira, a line‑up chosen to help in climbs and time trials.
- If Pogacar wins in Spain he would join a very small group of riders to complete wins in all three Grand Tours and could become only the fourth man to claim the Tour and Vuelta in the same year, a result that would affect his recovery and plans for the World Road Championships later in September.